Just can't find the right Guild

[die Bullen]

Hi all, first time poster- normally I am over at Axetalk where I am a mod, but there aren't really any Guild guys there...

A friend of mine lent me his 1955 Guild X-50 a few months back and I absolutely love the sound and feel of this guitar. It is stunning for a "student grade" instrument. With tone all the way up you are in rockabilly land and rolled half off it has an ideal jazzy sound- especially when fingerpicking.

Ever since I have had the X-50 I've been trying to find a 50's Guild cutaway hollowbody in nice shape but I just can not find them out there. It pretty much has to be 50's because I really love this single coil pickup- don't like humbuckers personally. Ironically I am only about 25 miles away from Hoboken so I'm squarely from Guild's home turf at the time but the pickin's are slim indeed.

I've avoided EBAY because I really need to play the guitar before buying it and the risk of getting something with issues is just too great for the amount of money we are talking about. I check GBASE and CL every day and there is really little out there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to locate one of these instruments? I'm starting to get very frustrated in my search...

dB

 

[Walter Broes]

Just keep looking, they're out there if you're patient. They were made in relatively small numbers, so they're harder to find than some other guitars.

As for the "try before you buy" - I'm a big believer in that, but I have to admit I have two single-coil, Hoboken made Guild archtops that I got sight unseen, and I haven't regretted either of them for even a second.

 

[twocorgis]

First of all, welcome here die Bullen!

It's hard to improve on what Walter said. With a little patience, the right Hoboken archtop will show up. I'd sell you my '59, but you'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. :lol: Good luck!

UPDATE: This one just surfaced on the Dayton OH Craigslist for the right price. Go get her! 8)

 

[parker_knoll]

last time i looked there was quite a few Franz equipped hollowbodies on Gbase. I myself recently scored one on ebay.

Search for X-150, X-175.

If you like DeArmond pickups (also single coil, but different) you can look at a T100, a pre-1963(?) or so Starfire and quite a few others.

 

[die Bullen]

Firstly thank you for the welcomes!

I like that X-50 on CL but I think I need a cutaway this time- also I can always play the X-50 that I have. My friend gave it to me on indefinite loan so I could really play it anytime. Problem is that the frets are starting to separate on it and there are a lot of dead spots. I'd refret it but the guitar isn't mine and don't really feel right about doing that. Oh and I should mention- I definitely want a full body, not a thinline.

Funny you guys should mention the X-150 and X-175's- of the cutaways I have seen I very much prefer the round shape of these vs. the CE-100; althought I would certainly take a CE-100 if I could find one. Actually there is a 1953 X-150 in a Guitar Center in OH but the risk of having them send it seems very high. Although that guitar looks fantastic.

Not long ago a local guy offered me a 1957(?) X-350- he told me it was pristine and I thought this was surely the one. When I got to him the thing had been stored for years in a cheap-looking non-original case- he hadn't even opened it prior to my being there. When he pulled it out the binding had reacted with the case lining all over the place (guitar stuck in case) and the electronics were messed up. Stunningly he wouldn't budge on the price due to condition so I walked away from it. How can a collector make such a dumb mistake???

 

[twocorgis]

Not long ago a local guy offered me a 1957(?) X-350- he told me it was pristine and I thought this was surely the one. When I got to him the thing had been stored for years in a cheap-looking non-original case- he hadn't even opened it prior to my being there. When he pulled it out the binding had reacted with the case lining all over the place (guitar stuck in case) and the electronics were messed up. Stunningly he wouldn't budge on the price due to condition so I walked away from it. How can a collector make such a dumb mistake???

I think Albert Einstein once said "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."

Truer words were never spoken. I never liked X350s much anyway; that three pickup thing with those ugly switches never did it for me. YMMV, of course.

 

[die Bullen]

I don't mind the Epiphone switch bank of the X-350 but I do agree that I don't need 3 pickups- I'm quite happy with one. I generally prefer simplicity (play a '52 AVRI tele on the neck pickup for jazz, as well as another cheap "gigging" tele with flat Thomastik 11's.)

The X-350 seems to command a premium price too. It probably isn't worth it to guys like me who don't necessarily need "all that".

Where I could really kick myself (and I am certain someone here must have posted an NGD thread about this guitar) is I found a late 50's original owner CE-100B on CL in Brooklyn or Long Island a few weeks back and they guy wanted a grand. Sadly he had already sold it when I called...

 

[twocorgis]

Keep at it. There's lots of nice Guilds coming up for sale all the time, old Hoboken archtops somewhat less so, but they're out there. Look at it this way, you've got a loaner to play in the meantime; how cool is that? 8) Use this mash-up search if you don't know about it already.

One I might kick myself for is passing on a nice-looking '54 X150 in Colorado a couple of weeks ago for $1K. I'd love to have a New York Guild some time, but I must thin the herd first. :roll:

 

[die Bullen]

thanks for that search- I have never heard of it!

Yes it is nice to play a loaner but there is nothing like having your own. And oh yes, I plan to soldier on with my search!

 

[GAD]

Trust me when I say that you are now in the secret underground lair of the Guild Enablers of Legend.

I came on here a few years back saying, "You know, I'd like to have a blond Starfire IV." Within a few months I had the perfect Starfire in my hands. I then proceeded to have four more.

Put out the word here, and we'll find you one. It's what we do.

Welcome!

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome.

Lots of enablers here so let us help you.

I think twocorgis is the source of this information. Supposedly a GC will ship a used instrument from a remote store to a store local to you so that you can try before you buy, and all this is at no charge to you. Might be easier than a road trip to Ohio...

 

[die Bullen]

Glad to be here! A friend tipped me off to this forum and this certainly seems to be the right place for me. This does appears to be the "secret Guild enabler society".

My local GC told me they will ship to another store but you have to buy first. That said their policy is if you don't approve of the item you can return it immediately. The paying in advance isn't really a problem but I'm trying to get some options before I do that. Then again for all I know the guitar could be gone today. But then the search would just continue elsewhere.

It is a unique situation for me. I sold a bunch of stuff I didn't need this year- like a brown bess musket, my old Ampeg V-4 head and cab and a bunch of other stuff so my gear slush fund is at an all time high but no place to go! Who would have thought that availability would constrain me and not cash? I guess welcome to the world of vintage guitars, huh?

 

[twocorgis]

I think twocorgis is the source of this information. Supposedly a GC will ship a used instrument from a remote store to a store local to you so that you can try before you buy, and all this is at no charge to you. Might be easier than a road trip to Ohio...

In this case Frono would only be partially correct. :wink:

Used and vintage gear at remote Guitar Centers are available for purchase, but in my experience so far you must buy it first, and they will ship it directly to you at their discounted UPS rate. I paid $25 UPS Ground from Michigan for the Starfire 1 bass with OHSC, and $15 UPS Ground for the D15-12M from upstate New York. I believe they will ship to another store if you prefer, but you must pay the shipping. It becomes a bit more complicated if the instrument is considered "vintage" (earlier than 1980 I believe). My local GC isn't certified for vintage instrument, so they weren't able to receive the Starfire 1 bass. In any case, you still get the thirty day return policy. This has worked pretty well for me up to this point.

 

[die Bullen]

Generally has your (collective) experience been good having GC ship used or vintage gear? I was really leery of that...

 

[twocorgis]

Generally has your (collective) experience been good having GC ship used or vintage gear? I was really leery of that...

No worries here. Both of mine arrived well-packed, and in fine shape.

 

[Frosty]

Welcome to LTG.

I agree with previous replies, and can only add that I have come across two Hoboken X-50s in local shops over the past year (one of which I owned for a while). So, this is just to say that you have another pair of eyes on the look out!

 

[die Bullen]

Thanks for the info so far!

Are there any Guild years in the 50's to avoid from a quality perspective? Of course everyone here is an enthusiast but you gotta call it like it is!

Typical issues I've typically noticed in older Guilds are neck joint separation, binding deterioration and fret separation (I guess any older guitar would have all of these). What I find is notable though is the lack of body cracks in Guilds that I see on Epiphones of the same time period- I wonder why?

 

[fronobulax]

I stand corrected on the GC policies. Thanks for being patient with my failing memory. Or is it my eyesight that is fading? Where are my specs?

 

[littlesongs]

Thanks for the info so far!

Are there any Guild years in the 50's to avoid from a quality perspective? Of course everyone here is an enthusiast but you gotta call it like it is!

Unlike other manufacturers, Guild never had a "bad period" and there isn't a "years to avoid" list.

At the same time, I would definitely want a second opinion on guitars advertised as '50, '51 or '52.

Typical issues I've typically noticed in older Guilds are neck joint separation, binding deterioration and fret separation (I guess any older guitar would have all of these). What I find is notable though is the lack of body cracks in Guilds that I see on Epiphones of the same time period- I wonder why?

Gibson was notorious for using green wood to keep up with demand, so any Kalamazoo-built Epiphone guitars (1958 to 1969) are going to be suspect.

You are among the greatest bunch of Guild enablers on the planet. I bet you end up with more than one. :wink:

 

[die Bullen]

I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with more than one too. I can only imagine that one of the cutaways would only delight me even more than the X-50 I "have"- and that is hard to imagine. I am quite attached to this guitar now.

I'd also like a second opinion on the '53 or '54 Guilds. I've heard nothing specifically bad but just want to make sure it didn't take a couple years for them to "get it right"